I don't think I can consider Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" as a whole to be a news story, even though some aspects of the story could be considered so. I do consider the act of the man collapsing to the floor next to a young boy who cannot speak in the fluent tongue and there fore cannot convey who this man is, his medical history, where he lives, newsworthy. But that is not what Crane focuses on. Instead he focuses on the selfish reactions of the passerbys, clearly making the story more of a social critique than news. His viewpoint seems critical in nature, not because he says that society is self-involved, but because of the amount of detail (amazing detail) and time spent on the reactions of these people. The boy and the man who collapsed were only mentioned briefly in relation to the witnesses. Even though Crane may have used journalistic techniques in writing only things that he saw, emphasis and detail was given to a given aspect leaving the readers the only option to agree with his opinions (which I would agree with anyway!)
Although Crane's piece "When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" is obviously not a traditional news story I still feel it can be considered news. It may not be written as one would find in a newspaper but it does take a news worthy event (a man collapsing) and describes it. The fact that he chooses to focus on other people's reactions to the event makes it different but it's still news. After all, one reads the reactions of other people in many news stories, this story just happens to focus on that more so than the accident. Crane gives all the necessary information about the newsworthy event and for me that's all it comes down to. Him adding anything else to the story is irrelevant to me and only serves to enhance the story.
I think Crane’s ‘When a Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers’ can be seen as news. It is not written as a normal news story, but what happens in the story can be considered as news. A man collapses on the street, a crowd gathers around him. Eventually a policeman and a doctor arrive and the man got picked up by the ambulance. All that information would perfectly fit in to a news story. Though, Crane doesn’t write it as a news story. Crane focuses more on what is happening around the news item. The crowd that is just watching the man, he shows their selfishness. The young man who doesn’t speak English and therefore can’t answer the questions all those people ask him. As you said in class, the scene is very important in this story. The irony of the sentence: “Over the heads of the crowd hung an immovable canvas sign. “Regular dinner twenty cents””, made this really clear for me. You wouldn’t find a story like this in the newspapers, but that doesn’t mean it not contains news. I think it really contains news, it is just not written as a traditional news story. Thereby is the story written with a certain point a view, and that is something you will never find in a news story either.
"When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" is similar in some ways to news, but I would not consider it to be a genuine news story. I do not think it is genuine because it blends some journalism aspects with a literary, almost fictious writing style and undertone. The writing style that Crane utilizes reminds me of a novel with its extensive use of adjectives to describe everything from the scene to all the characters in the piece. Crane also seems like he is trying to teach the reader a lesson in his piece and the way he presents it is very similar to a moral in a fictional story. The journalism aspects of the story include its third person point of view, which is like a reporter telling a story to his or her readers. Crane narrates the story as if he knows everything that is going on which is the same as a reporter collecting the facts of a news event and then writing an article with those facts. Another journalism aspect in Crane's story is that it could have really happened. The image that he paints in the reader's mind is very realistic. I feel that everything in the story could be true, but the way Crane presents it as a whole is much more like a literary publication, such as a novel, than an actual news story that you would see in a daily newspaper.
Yes, as some of you suggest, the content of the story might be something that you'd find in a police blotter on an inside page of a newspaper -- the column that lists police calls and fire calls or that devotes a paragraph apiece to crimes, accidents, and such. But Crane, in subjecting the incident to literary-type treatment, redefines what constitutes news. And that is what you should ponder. What exactly is Crane informing us about? In rendering the incident, what does he make it come to represent? Does what the incident symbolize qualify to your mind as news? Should it, even if it doesn't meet more conventional definitions of news? (Remember the Carey quote on the syllabus.)
Crane’s story “Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers” does fit Webster’s literal definition of “news” (information about recent events or developments). It is told unconventionally, I agree. The story would have more of a traditional “news” feel with the simple addition of the man’s name or anyone else’s, especially if someone involved had been noteworthy. I also agree with ruth16 that because of the focus Crane’s story (as well as its title) and his lack of specifics—exactly where did this happen, when, and who was involved—it seems to be more of a commentary on the state of society in general rather than simply the passing on of “information about recent events.” So the question than becomes “Is the telling of a recent event as an example of a consequence of a larger, perhaps less tangible, issue or development also news?” I say yes.
I think Crane's "When a Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" can be considered a news story. Especially with the changing parameters of todays Journalism, I think that this story tells of a recent event which happened to Crane. By some peoples standards this would be a minor case of somewhat being carted off to a hospital after suffering from a seizure, but through Cranes story telling, it becomes a larger story of how people react to such an event. I found it even more relevant considering that this event is still endemic of the reality television of today. The crowd gathering to watch the man suffer, like the train wreck you can't look away from, seemed just like the emotionless way people sometimes watch reality television. In this sense I found Cranes story newsworthy, since the event informed the reader not only of a recent news story, but of the language gap of the people, and mans captivation and emotional separation with human suffering.
As unconventional of a news story as this may be, I strongly believe it is a news story. As mentioned numerous times so far, Crane has elements of a hard news story in his piece, his description of the incident occuring, and the police reaction to the event, but this isn't why I believe this is a news story.
While reading this, it reminded me of the Kitty Genovese story, the woman from Kew Gardens in Queens who was stabbed numerous times while her neighbors ignored her cries for help. Although the Kitty Genovese story occurred during a different time, with different forms of media, it still represents a similar story presentation.
Another example of this, I interned this summer at News12 Long Island and during every broadcast they have a "Beyond Long Island" segment. One of the stories was a video of a man getting hit by a car and left on the street. The video shows onlookers staring at the man, and then carrying on with their everyday lives. There is not a single person who even as much walks over to the man to make sure he's ok. The story News12 covered wasn't the actual accident, or how the man was doing, they covered the reactions of the onlookers.
A news story doesn't necessarily have to be about the actual incident that occurred, the incident could just be facts and descriptions of a larger story. Yes it is true that social commentary doesn't really have a place in hard news, but there is still a story in the fact that like Kitty Genovese, Stephen Crane describes a scene in which people are either too intrigued or scared to help when really needed. Hard news is usually written on a very specific topic, focusing in on one piece of information. This piece does just that, only it doesn't focus in on what most people would think it should.
I think my problem in considering if this piece is news is the association of news-- what to expect when reading something newsworthy, the facts, the quotes with the proper attributions, etc.
When I read this story the first time, I took it as a literature. After I read it, I felt like I was pondering life a little more, questions filled my head and I felt sympathy for the man that fell. Books, poems, any piece of literature give me these feelings or thoughts, like this one.
However, when I read news, while some articles are feature pieces, I don't have the same feelings as I do when reading something like Crane's piece. I'll read it, think about it briefly afterward and move on with my day. If I read a piece that's tragic or upsetting, I feel upset and I hope for the best, but I'll move on.
With something like "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers," I want to do something. I want to shove the crowd away, kick them in the shins, something to get everyone to move. If I read this as a news article-- typical formulaic style, a lede that makes me want to read the rest of it-- I think I'd feel almost indifferent. I would want the person to get well, but at the end of the story, I'd read the next article.
Isn't the point of Journalism to make some change? We all say it. We want things to change, make the public do something, make them give a shit.
I read the piece another couple times, and the more I read it, the more I felt this was news in a unconventional way. The way that maybe a lot of news we read daily should be done.
When reading Stephen Crane's "When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers," that amazing thing called 'imagination' kicked into overdrive. Courtesy of Crane's masterful writing, I was able to clearly envision this intense scene as if it was unfolding before my very eyes. This kind of quality is something I find more in fictional stories than in news articles; instead of descriptive details, modern-day journalism articles seem to rely on an unbelievable amount of facts that paint a picture of a cheat-sheet, not an elaborate scene.
So, is it journalism? Yes, but not in the traditional sense. "When Man Falls..." contains the same kind of sensibility often delivered in documentaries, where a scene is detailed instead of the usual journalism tactic of dissecting bit-by-bit.
I would consider Crane's "When a Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" to be news, but it is a different type of news. A man collapsing on the street and his young companion being unable to call for help is definitely newsworthy and a story that should and would be included in today's evening newscast or the next day's paper. However, the fact that Crane focuses more on the crowd's reactions and behaviors than on the man's situation or the efforts to help the man and call for help, makes it more of a feature-y story that is almost like a social experiment or observation piece. It basically highlights exactly what the world is about, which is every man for himself. It also supports what I believe to be a huge part of American culture--violence, confrontation and drama excite and entertain society. People would rather watch the scene in fascination, almost as if they were viewing a movie or reality television show, then help the man or try to understand the young boy's angst.
I consider Stephen Crane's "Whenn Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" to be creative nonfiction. If the story was focused on facts about the man who fell, why he fell etc. it would only be a blurb because he was not a person of note. Crane chose to make the focus the reactions of the crowd. This makes the article more of a social commentary on the heartlessness of everyday people and the willingness to stand by and let things happen as long as they aren't happening to you. But the piece is unbiased in nature, something that is valued in journalism even if incredibly hard to achieve. Crane is making you see that he clearly disapproves of what is happening even if he never says it outright. Even still I really enjoyed the piece. It's always interesting to see these little snapshots of human character and interaction.
Yes, I think that Crane’s piece can be considered news. I believe news covers, or should try to cover at least, every aspect of our society. That includes everything from the upcoming presidential election to Britney Spears. When the Associated Press reports that MTV’s VMA’s were up 15% in viewer ship since last year, it reveals something about our society. Many people might dismiss it as irrelevant, but it comments on our values and priorities.
Crane’s piece does the same. It’s not so much a story about a man collapsing in the street, as it is an examination of immigration and the human condition. On page sixty, Crane writes, “He answered them “Yes” or “No” blindly, with no apparent comprehension of their language.” With a single word, Crane points out the distance, the boundary between the boy and those who surround him. Later on that same page, Crane writes, “There were men who nearly created a battle in the madness of their desire to see the thing.” Using language, Crane illustrates the act of dehumanization that has occurred. These are all comments on society and I think Crane recognized that they had to be stated.
I agree with Ruth that this piece is a social critique but I also believe that social critique is news. Crane just happens to present it differently. By presenting it as a narrative, Crane enhances the event readers and gives readers a unique opportunity. Because of its literary style, we know that every word or term was used intentionally and strategically, and therefore we can interpret it in our own way.
I also want to respond to James’ comments on reality television. I agree that people watch reality TV because they can’t resist watching people suffer or make bad choices. Our society loves to watch life unfold as a drama. But I also think that reality TV isn’t the only way people do so. News itself can follow the lives of particular people to the point that it dominates every channel. For example, the OJ Simpson Trial, Baby Jessica, Terri Shavio… these were all instances were the news turned these people’s lives into drama’s and society became engrossed. Crane’s piece unfolds in the same dramatic sense, another reason why I think it is newsworthy.
There's actually a name, coined by media scholar James Monaco, for what Denise is describing in her last paragraph. The name is quasar, which in science refers to a silent or invisible star. Baby Jessica, Terri Schavio, even Kitty Genovese (mentioned earlier by someone else) are special kinds of celebrities or stars. They don't (because they can't) speak for themselves. They're either too young or too dead or too deep in a coma. The media end up speaking for them, turning them into symbols or personfications of social causes, social forces, social problems, etc. Other and bigger celebrities can attempt to control how they're perceived, but quasars like those Denise identifies are kind of playthings of the media, made to represent whatever is most compelling or convenient at the moment.
When I think of news, I think of something that is up to date and very "now". While Stephen Crane's "When Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" isn't what I would consider an on-the-edge piece of news, I believe it can be considered news. This is because Crane's description of the crowd's curiousity and vehemence in attempting to obtain knowledge about the ill man is indicative of the kind of society we live in. Though dated, Crane's story informs the public of problems that still exist today: insensitivity, the desire for entertainment from others' troubles, and "rubber-necking". The piece, through thoroughly descriptive language, makes one realize just how much empathy a society can lack.
I think that Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers," can be seen as news. Although it is not in the traditional format of a journalistic story and there are some questions left unanswered, I believe the story fulfills the readers' need for information about the incident. Not only does this story explore a news worthy event but it also gives a good example of human nature. When a train wreck happens, people can't help but stare. That's what this situation was like; people want to implement themselves into what’s happening and be a part of it even if it really doesn’t concern them. Crane left some questions unanswered, such as who the man and his friend were, but I believe this makes the story more of a success because it leaves their identities open for debate. The victim could be anyone and it leaves the story more expressive and more effective to the reader. Although it is not a traditional news story, it has all the elements necessary to be considered one but also has a more effectual touch to it to reach the readers.
One effect of not identitying any of the people in the story by name is that they thereby become iconic or archetypal. The story has a kind of universal application as a result.
To me, Stephen Crane’s “When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers” reads like a story rather than news. It does not immediately address the five w’s and h in an inverted pyramid style like news articles are usually formatted. It also does not simply list facts, but instead embellishes details to paint a scene and evoke an image. While a good journalist should be able to do this, Crane does not report in this piece; he tells. He creates descriptions of characters and gives them personalities. Although he is not necessarily being bias in the communication of his story, he is also doesn’t purely rely on fact. He uses adjectives like “terrified” to describe the look in a young boy’s eyes and “passive” to describe a figure (59). From what I was taught, credible news articles never insert such objective language. While Crane does report a story in this piece, it would never appear in a newspaper because of its rebellious style.
Just a few more ponts (well, one more), which I'll follow up on during class. . .
Feelings are facts, too; perceptions are facts, too; adjectives, when used selectively, are useful, if not downright necessary, to revealing writing; most journalists are naive empiricists (look it up); what they write isn't "true" in any genuine sense; it's just what meets journalistic standards, which aren't necessarily the standards of truth (to quote a lie accurately doesn't make the lie any less a falsehood).
I think that Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" is legitimately news. Everything around us is news and there is nothing that is not newsworthy. Every thing in every second of every day can tell a story, whether extremely interesting or relatively common/boring. A man collapsing and not being able to respond is surely something that should be shared among the public and seen as something "newsworthy". Though, I did think that the story was a little dragged out, telling more unnecessary details than relative information solely needed. The story could have been cut down to almost half the length, and I think that this is an ongoing problem that a large handful of writers have. So many writers tend to say so little in too much words, confusing or even loosing interest from the reader. I know i suffer from this, unfortunately.
Steven Crane's "Man Falls, Crowd Gathers" holds all the information you would find in a news story, with all the intricate details of a novel. Reading Crane's piece reminded me of the piece "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" by Gay Talese, which is a piece written without the author having an interview with Frank Sinatra, but only observing him from across the room. I feel like these two pieces both express aspects of news journalism because both tell a true story of a real event that took place, even with their flowing descriptions, and therefore should be considered to be newsworthy pieces. Even without knowing the names of the man and the boy, or knowing the location of the event, the underlying truth being told about this incident is how people often see a bad situation and do nothing to help. I think that is the point of Crane's article, to show how society always assumes someone else will take control and call for help, and so no one does. This is the newsworthy aspect of the article, not having the names of the man, boy or street location, doesn't matter. I find pieces like this to be easier and more pleasing to read, although not quite as practical as your everyday news brief. But really what is news? Is news just the significant events that get written down everyday, or is news everything that happens to each person everyday whether it be significant or not? Crane's piece is definitely newsworthy in my opinion even thought is is not written in a standard news form.
Personally I don't consider "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" news in the conventional sense because if I saw an article like that in a paper I wouldn't look at it twice. However, because Crane twists the news around by reporting it in third-person perspective and giving it a literary feel, it feels like an analysis almost. In the introduction it's pointed out that there is no "a" before "man" in the title, which makes the entire story ominous. To me, it's almost a symbolic commentary on human curiosity and our innate need for drama. This gets in the way of any real feelings of compassion. I think there was more emphasis put on the onlookers than on the collapsed man and the boy he was walking with, which gives the impression that Crane is reporting on the reaction, not what happened. If this were news it wouldn't have anything to do with the man having the fit, but rather the onlookers and their lack of sympathy for him.
I do believe that Crane's piece "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" can be considered a news story. Although the piece clearly does not come across like an inticing NBC news headline, it holds some parameters that a differently-written news piece would have. A young boy, who is unable to speak their language, sees a man fall to the floor and soon after, a crowd surrounds him. I think that you could find something like this possibly in a newspaper or on TV. Although, I feel like Crane concentrates so heavily on the mindless people that surround the man that fell, that it would be hard to actually be published in a newspaper or other periodical without his opinions taken away. Like some others have said, Crane does narrate the story as if he knows exactly what happened and almost forces the readers to contribute the same opinion as he. But in the end, I think it could definitely suffice as a news story because there is enough talk about the event throughout the piece.
You can't measure literary journalism by conventional journalism's yardstick. It's different from conventional or mainstream journalism in virtually every important regard: 1) how it defines news; 2) where the reporter is situated in relation to the story; 3) the language or style in which the story is written; 4) the structure of the story; and 5) the purpose of the story, which isn't generally to entertain or inform, but to interpret, challenge, and disrupt.
I think that Crane's piece is news, obviously not by traditional standards, but that doesn't mean it's not legitimate news. It does tell a story of an event that occurred on the street, which may not necessarily be the most newsworthy event to some. However, I think that his piece goes a little further. He displays people's reactions to the event and the way he treated them, almost exposing a part of human nature. Maybe it's a stretch, but I can see it almost as a sort of muckraking, exposing a wrong in society through the news. Just because it's not written as traditional news, doesn't mean that it isn't legitimate.
Stephen Crane’s “Man falls, a Crowd gathers” is news even though as most of you already mentioned it’s not a conventional news story. Crane focuses more on the crowd questions and reactions than on the man or the child he was with. He includes all the important elements of a news story but doesn’t give them to you one after the other. He chooses to mix up all the elements throughout the story which I think makes the reader feel like part of the crowd. Had it been written how news is traditionally written we would have felt more like the crowd walking by the scene after it is all cleaned up. As I was reading my curiosity made me almost skim through the pages to get to the end. I, like the crowd, was dying to know what was going on or what was to come. I didn’t (like someone else said) want to help or move the crowd aside, I was fine with being part of that crowd. That’s when I realized that Crane was actually speaking about a much bigger issue than the man and the crowd. He was painting a picture about our society and how our curiosity overpowers our empathy. Such topics are written about but are rarely considered news. Even though it doesn’t meet the conventional definition this story is news. What Cranes does is take an event that could have been a simple news story about an injured man and mixes it up with a deeper issue to make it a story within a news story.
Though I doubt it can be considered a traditional news story that specifies theexact day, it does tell the time of day and the place which creates a sense of immediacy and importance. It is a news-worthy story however and he is observing a real scene with real people reacting to the man and the boy. By those standards I say this is a news story. I agree with Emmie that the story revolves more around the people watching the news item and that is what makes it interesting. The story seems like it is investigating another layer of a news story, the reactions to the story. News stories in traditional journalism do this too so it is not neccessarily an illegitmate route for a news story to take.
28 comments:
I don't think I can consider Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" as a whole to be a news story, even though some aspects of the story could be considered so. I do consider the act of the man collapsing to the floor next to a young boy who cannot speak in the fluent tongue and there fore cannot convey who this man is, his medical history, where he lives, newsworthy. But that is not what Crane focuses on. Instead he focuses on the selfish reactions of the passerbys, clearly making the story more of a social critique than news. His viewpoint seems critical in nature, not because he says that society is self-involved, but because of the amount of detail (amazing detail) and time spent on the reactions of these people. The boy and the man who collapsed were only mentioned briefly in relation to the witnesses. Even though Crane may have used journalistic techniques in writing only things that he saw, emphasis and detail was given to a given aspect leaving the readers the only option to agree with his opinions (which I would agree with anyway!)
Although Crane's piece "When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" is obviously not a traditional news story I still feel it can be considered news. It may not be written as one would find in a newspaper but it does take a news worthy event (a man collapsing) and describes it. The fact that he chooses to focus on other people's reactions to the event makes it different but it's still news. After all, one reads the reactions of other people in many news stories, this story just happens to focus on that more so than the accident. Crane gives all the necessary information about the newsworthy event and for me that's all it comes down to. Him adding anything else to the story is irrelevant to me and only serves to enhance the story.
I think Crane’s ‘When a Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers’ can be seen as news. It is not written as a normal news story, but what happens in the story can be considered as news. A man collapses on the street, a crowd gathers around him. Eventually a policeman and a doctor arrive and the man got picked up by the ambulance. All that information would perfectly fit in to a news story. Though, Crane doesn’t write it as a news story.
Crane focuses more on what is happening around the news item. The crowd that is just watching the man, he shows their selfishness. The young man who doesn’t speak English and therefore can’t answer the questions all those people ask him.
As you said in class, the scene is very important in this story. The irony of the sentence: “Over the heads of the crowd hung an immovable canvas sign. “Regular dinner twenty cents””, made this really clear for me. You wouldn’t find a story like this in the newspapers, but that doesn’t mean it not contains news. I think it really contains news, it is just not written as a traditional news story. Thereby is the story written with a certain point a view, and that is something you will never find in a news story either.
"When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" is similar in some ways to news, but I would not consider it to be a genuine news story. I do not think it is genuine because it blends some journalism aspects with a literary, almost fictious writing style and undertone. The writing style that Crane utilizes reminds me of a novel with its extensive use of adjectives to describe everything from the scene to all the characters in the piece. Crane also seems like he is trying to teach the reader a lesson in his piece and the way he presents it is very similar to a moral in a fictional story.
The journalism aspects of the story include its third person point of view, which is like a reporter telling a story to his or her readers. Crane narrates the story as if he knows everything that is going on which is the same as a reporter collecting the facts of a news event and then writing an article with those facts. Another journalism aspect in Crane's story is that it could have really happened. The image that he paints in the reader's mind is very realistic. I feel that everything in the story could be true, but the way Crane presents it as a whole is much more like a literary publication, such as a novel, than an actual news story that you would see in a daily newspaper.
Yes, as some of you suggest, the content of the story might be something that you'd find in a police blotter on an inside page of a newspaper -- the column that lists police calls and fire calls or that devotes a paragraph apiece to crimes, accidents, and such. But Crane, in subjecting the incident to literary-type treatment, redefines what constitutes news. And that is what you should ponder. What exactly is Crane informing us about? In rendering the incident, what does he make it come to represent? Does what the incident symbolize qualify to your mind as news? Should it, even if it doesn't meet more conventional definitions of news? (Remember the Carey quote on the syllabus.)
Crane’s story “Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers” does fit Webster’s literal definition of “news” (information about recent events or developments). It is told unconventionally, I agree. The story would have more of a traditional “news” feel with the simple addition of the man’s name or anyone else’s, especially if someone involved had been noteworthy. I also agree with ruth16 that because of the focus Crane’s story (as well as its title) and his lack of specifics—exactly where did this happen, when, and who was involved—it seems to be more of a commentary on the state of society in general rather than simply the passing on of “information about recent events.” So the question than becomes “Is the telling of a recent event as an example of a consequence of a larger, perhaps less tangible, issue or development also news?” I say yes.
I think Crane's "When a Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" can be considered a news story. Especially with the changing parameters of todays Journalism, I think that this story tells of a recent event which happened to Crane. By some peoples standards this would be a minor case of somewhat being carted off to a hospital after suffering from a seizure, but through Cranes story telling, it becomes a larger story of how people react to such an event. I found it even more relevant considering that this event is still endemic of the reality television of today. The crowd gathering to watch the man suffer, like the train wreck you can't look away from, seemed just like the emotionless way people sometimes watch reality television. In this sense I found Cranes story newsworthy, since the event informed the reader not only of a recent news story, but of the language gap of the people, and mans captivation and emotional separation with human suffering.
As unconventional of a news story as this may be, I strongly believe it is a news story. As mentioned numerous times so far, Crane has elements of a hard news story in his piece, his description of the incident occuring, and the police reaction to the event, but this isn't why I believe this is a news story.
While reading this, it reminded me of the Kitty Genovese story, the woman from Kew Gardens in Queens who was stabbed numerous times while her neighbors ignored her cries for help. Although the Kitty Genovese story occurred during a different time, with different forms of media, it still represents a similar story presentation.
Another example of this, I interned this summer at News12 Long Island and during every broadcast they have a "Beyond Long Island" segment. One of the stories was a video of a man getting hit by a car and left on the street. The video shows onlookers staring at the man, and then carrying on with their everyday lives. There is not a single person who even as much walks over to the man to make sure he's ok. The story News12 covered wasn't the actual accident, or how the man was doing, they covered the reactions of the onlookers.
A news story doesn't necessarily have to be about the actual incident that occurred, the incident could just be facts and descriptions of a larger story. Yes it is true that social commentary doesn't really have a place in hard news, but there is still a story in the fact that like Kitty Genovese, Stephen Crane describes a scene in which people are either too intrigued or scared to help when really needed. Hard news is usually written on a very specific topic, focusing in on one piece of information. This piece does just that, only it doesn't focus in on what most people would think it should.
I think my problem in considering if this piece is news is the association of news-- what to expect when reading something newsworthy, the facts, the quotes with the proper attributions, etc.
When I read this story the first time, I took it as a literature. After I read it, I felt like I was pondering life a little more, questions filled my head and I felt sympathy for the man that fell. Books, poems, any piece of literature give me these feelings or thoughts, like this one.
However, when I read news, while some articles are feature pieces, I don't have the same feelings as I do when reading something like Crane's piece. I'll read it, think about it briefly afterward and move on with my day. If I read a piece that's tragic or upsetting, I feel upset and I hope for the best, but I'll move on.
With something like "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers," I want to do something. I want to shove the crowd away, kick them in the shins, something to get everyone to move. If I read this as a news article-- typical formulaic style, a lede that makes me want to read the rest of it-- I think I'd feel almost indifferent. I would want the person to get well, but at the end of the story, I'd read the next article.
Isn't the point of Journalism to make some change? We all say it. We want things to change, make the public do something, make them give a shit.
I read the piece another couple times, and the more I read it, the more I felt this was news in a unconventional way. The way that maybe a lot of news we read daily should be done.
When reading Stephen Crane's "When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers," that amazing thing called 'imagination' kicked into overdrive. Courtesy of Crane's masterful writing, I was able to clearly envision this intense scene as if it was unfolding before my very eyes. This kind of quality is something I find more in fictional stories than in news articles; instead of descriptive details, modern-day journalism articles seem to rely on an unbelievable amount of facts that paint a picture of a cheat-sheet, not an elaborate scene.
So, is it journalism? Yes, but not in the traditional sense. "When Man Falls..." contains the same kind of sensibility often delivered in documentaries, where a scene is detailed instead of the usual journalism tactic of dissecting bit-by-bit.
I would consider Crane's "When a Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" to be news, but it is a different type of news. A man collapsing on the street and his young companion being unable to call for help is definitely newsworthy and a story that should and would be included in today's evening newscast or the next day's paper. However, the fact that Crane focuses more on the crowd's reactions and behaviors than on the man's situation or the efforts to help the man and call for help, makes it more of a feature-y story that is almost like a social experiment or observation piece. It basically highlights exactly what the world is about, which is every man for himself. It also supports what I believe to be a huge part of American culture--violence, confrontation and drama excite and entertain society. People would rather watch the scene in fascination, almost as if they were viewing a movie or reality television show, then help the man or try to understand the young boy's angst.
I consider Stephen Crane's "Whenn Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" to be creative nonfiction. If the story was focused on facts about the man who fell, why he fell etc. it would only be a blurb because he was not a person of note. Crane chose to make the focus the reactions of the crowd. This makes the article more of a social commentary on the heartlessness of everyday people and the willingness to stand by and let things happen as long as they aren't happening to you. But the piece is unbiased in nature, something that is valued in journalism even if incredibly hard to achieve. Crane is making you see that he clearly disapproves of what is happening even if he never says it outright. Even still I really enjoyed the piece. It's always interesting to see these little snapshots of human character and interaction.
Yes, I think that Crane’s piece can be considered news. I believe news covers, or should try to cover at least, every aspect of our society. That includes everything from the upcoming presidential election to Britney Spears. When the Associated Press reports that MTV’s VMA’s were up 15% in viewer ship since last year, it reveals something about our society. Many people might dismiss it as irrelevant, but it comments on our values and priorities.
Crane’s piece does the same. It’s not so much a story about a man collapsing in the street, as it is an examination of immigration and the human condition. On page sixty, Crane writes, “He answered them “Yes” or “No” blindly, with no apparent comprehension of their language.” With a single word, Crane points out the distance, the boundary between the boy and those who surround him. Later on that same page, Crane writes, “There were men who nearly created a battle in the madness of their desire to see the thing.” Using language, Crane illustrates the act of dehumanization that has occurred. These are all comments on society and I think Crane recognized that they had to be stated.
I agree with Ruth that this piece is a social critique but I also believe that social critique is news. Crane just happens to present it differently. By presenting it as a narrative, Crane enhances the event readers and gives readers a unique opportunity. Because of its literary style, we know that every word or term was used intentionally and strategically, and therefore we can interpret it in our own way.
I also want to respond to James’ comments on reality television. I agree that people watch reality TV because they can’t resist watching people suffer or make bad choices. Our society loves to watch life unfold as a drama. But I also think that reality TV isn’t the only way people do so. News itself can follow the lives of particular people to the point that it dominates every channel. For example, the OJ Simpson Trial, Baby Jessica, Terri Shavio… these were all instances were the news turned these people’s lives into drama’s and society became engrossed. Crane’s piece unfolds in the same dramatic sense, another reason why I think it is newsworthy.
There's actually a name, coined by media scholar James Monaco, for what Denise is describing in her last paragraph. The name is quasar, which in science refers to a silent or invisible star. Baby Jessica, Terri Schavio, even Kitty Genovese (mentioned earlier by someone else) are special kinds of celebrities or stars. They don't (because they can't) speak for themselves. They're either too young or too dead or too deep in a coma. The media end up speaking for them, turning them into symbols or personfications of social causes, social forces, social problems, etc. Other and bigger celebrities can attempt to control how they're perceived, but quasars like those Denise identifies are kind of playthings of the media, made to represent whatever is most compelling or convenient at the moment.
When I think of news, I think of something that is up to date and very "now". While Stephen Crane's "When Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" isn't what I would consider an on-the-edge piece of news, I believe it can be considered news. This is because Crane's description of the crowd's curiousity and vehemence in attempting to obtain knowledge about the ill man is indicative of the kind of society we live in. Though dated, Crane's story informs the public of problems that still exist today: insensitivity, the desire for entertainment from others' troubles, and "rubber-necking". The piece, through thoroughly descriptive language, makes one realize just how much empathy a society can lack.
I think that Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers," can be seen as news. Although it is not in the traditional format of a journalistic story and there are some questions left unanswered, I believe the story fulfills the readers' need for information about the incident. Not only does this story explore a news worthy event but it also gives a good example of human nature. When a train wreck happens, people can't help but stare. That's what this situation was like; people want to implement themselves into what’s happening and be a part of it even if it really doesn’t concern them. Crane left some questions unanswered, such as who the man and his friend were, but I believe this makes the story more of a success because it leaves their identities open for debate. The victim could be anyone and it leaves the story more expressive and more effective to the reader. Although it is not a traditional news story, it has all the elements necessary to be considered one but also has a more effectual touch to it to reach the readers.
One effect of not identitying any of the people in the story by name is that they thereby become iconic or archetypal. The story has a kind of universal application as a result.
To me, Stephen Crane’s “When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers” reads like a story rather than news. It does not immediately address the five w’s and h in an inverted pyramid style like news articles are usually formatted. It also does not simply list facts, but instead embellishes details to paint a scene and evoke an image. While a good journalist should be able to do this, Crane does not report in this piece; he tells. He creates descriptions of characters and gives them personalities. Although he is not necessarily being bias in the communication of his story, he is also doesn’t purely rely on fact. He uses adjectives like “terrified” to describe the look in a young boy’s eyes and “passive” to describe a figure (59). From what I was taught, credible news articles never insert such objective language. While Crane does report a story in this piece, it would never appear in a newspaper because of its rebellious style.
Just a few more ponts (well, one more), which I'll follow up on during class. . .
Feelings are facts, too; perceptions are facts, too; adjectives, when used selectively, are useful, if not downright necessary, to revealing writing; most journalists are naive empiricists (look it up); what they write isn't "true" in any genuine sense; it's just what meets journalistic standards, which aren't necessarily the standards of truth (to quote a lie accurately doesn't make the lie any less a falsehood).
I think that Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" is legitimately news. Everything around us is news and there is nothing that is not newsworthy. Every thing in every second of every day can tell a story, whether extremely interesting or relatively common/boring. A man collapsing and not being able to respond is surely something that should be shared among the public and seen as something "newsworthy". Though, I did think that the story was a little dragged out, telling more unnecessary details than relative information solely needed. The story could have been cut down to almost half the length, and I think that this is an ongoing problem that a large handful of writers have. So many writers tend to say so little in too much words, confusing or even loosing interest from the reader. I know i suffer from this, unfortunately.
Steven Crane's "Man Falls, Crowd Gathers" holds all the information you would find in a news story, with all the intricate details of a novel. Reading Crane's piece reminded me of the piece "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" by Gay Talese, which is a piece written without the author having an interview with Frank Sinatra, but only observing him from across the room. I feel like these two pieces both express aspects of news journalism because both tell a true story of a real event that took place, even with their flowing descriptions, and therefore should be considered to be newsworthy pieces. Even without knowing the names of the man and the boy, or knowing the location of the event, the underlying truth being told about this incident is how people often see a bad situation and do nothing to help. I think that is the point of Crane's article, to show how society always assumes someone else will take control and call for help, and so no one does. This is the newsworthy aspect of the article, not having the names of the man, boy or street location, doesn't matter.
I find pieces like this to be easier and more pleasing to read, although not quite as practical as your everyday news brief. But really what is news? Is news just the significant events that get written down everyday, or is news everything that happens to each person everyday whether it be significant or not? Crane's piece is definitely newsworthy in my opinion even thought is is not written in a standard news form.
Personally I don't consider "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" news in the conventional sense because if I saw an article like that in a paper I wouldn't look at it twice. However, because Crane twists the news around by reporting it in third-person perspective and giving it a literary feel, it feels like an analysis almost. In the introduction it's pointed out that there is no "a" before "man" in the title, which makes the entire story ominous. To me, it's almost a symbolic commentary on human curiosity and our innate need for drama. This gets in the way of any real feelings of compassion. I think there was more emphasis put on the onlookers than on the collapsed man and the boy he was walking with, which gives the impression that Crane is reporting on the reaction, not what happened. If this were news it wouldn't have anything to do with the man having the fit, but rather the onlookers and their lack of sympathy for him.
I do believe that Crane's piece "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" can be considered a news story. Although the piece clearly does not come across like an inticing NBC news headline, it holds some parameters that a differently-written news piece would have. A young boy, who is unable to speak their language, sees a man fall to the floor and soon after, a crowd surrounds him. I think that you could find something like this possibly in a newspaper or on TV. Although, I feel like Crane concentrates so heavily on the mindless people that surround the man that fell, that it would be hard to actually be published in a newspaper or other periodical without his opinions taken away. Like some others have said, Crane does narrate the story as if he knows exactly what happened and almost forces the readers to contribute the same opinion as he. But in the end, I think it could definitely suffice as a news story because there is enough talk about the event throughout the piece.
You can't measure literary journalism by conventional journalism's yardstick. It's different from conventional or mainstream journalism in virtually every important regard: 1) how it defines news; 2) where the reporter is situated in relation to the story; 3) the language or style in which the story is written; 4) the structure of the story; and 5) the purpose of the story, which isn't generally to entertain or inform, but to interpret, challenge, and disrupt.
I think that Crane's piece is news, obviously not by traditional standards, but that doesn't mean it's not legitimate news. It does tell a story of an event that occurred on the street, which may not necessarily be the most newsworthy event to some. However, I think that his piece goes a little further. He displays people's reactions to the event and the way he treated them, almost exposing a part of human nature. Maybe it's a stretch, but I can see it almost as a sort of muckraking, exposing a wrong in society through the news. Just because it's not written as traditional news, doesn't mean that it isn't legitimate.
Stephen Crane’s “Man falls, a Crowd gathers” is news even though as most of you already mentioned it’s not a conventional news story. Crane focuses more on the crowd questions and reactions than on the man or the child he was with. He includes all the important elements of a news story but doesn’t give them to you one after the other. He chooses to mix up all the elements throughout the story which I think makes the reader feel like part of the crowd. Had it been written how news is traditionally written we would have felt more like the crowd walking by the scene after it is all cleaned up.
As I was reading my curiosity made me almost skim through the pages to get to the end. I, like the crowd, was dying to know what was going on or what was to come. I didn’t (like someone else said) want to help or move the crowd aside, I was fine with being part of that crowd. That’s when I realized that Crane was actually speaking about a much bigger issue than the man and the crowd. He was painting a picture about our society and how our curiosity overpowers our empathy. Such topics are written about but are rarely considered news. Even though it doesn’t meet the conventional definition this story is news. What Cranes does is take an event that could have been a simple news story about an injured man and mixes it up with a deeper issue to make it a story within a news story.
Though I doubt it can be considered a traditional news story that specifies theexact day, it does tell the time of day and the place which creates a sense of immediacy and importance. It is a news-worthy story however and he is observing a real scene with real people reacting to the man and the boy. By those standards I say this is a news story. I agree with Emmie that the story revolves more around the people watching the news item and that is what makes it interesting. The story seems like it is investigating another layer of a news story, the reactions to the story. News stories in traditional journalism do this too so it is not neccessarily an illegitmate route for a news story to take.
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